Owner catches Rocky thief in the act on Facebook

OWNER shocked to see his items with a price tag on Rocky Facebook group.

THE magistrate said he could have believed a defendant's excuse he thought the trailer was abandoned when he decided to take it, repaint it and sell it online.

But to go and steal a second trailer not long after and the conclusion Rockhampton Magistrate Cameron Press came to was that the defendant, Aaron Kirkpatrick, "thought he was on a good thing".

Kirkpatrick, 24, pleaded guilty to charges of stealing the two trailers and one of fraud for trying to sell the first trailer on Facebook.

Police prosecutor Julie Marsden told the court the first trailer - a seven by four trailer with bull bar and headlights - was stolen from a residence between December 19 and 22.

"He had spray painted it black," she said.

The court heard Kirkpatrick advertised the trailer on the Yeppoon Buy Swap Sell Facebook page for $2500, which the original owner saw and contacted police.

Kirkpatrick stole another trailer which had been parked in bushland across the road from the owner's home at 11pm at night.

His lawyer told the Rockhampton Magistrate's Court on April 12 that Kirkpatrick had previously worked at the mines but was currently unemployed.

The lawyer said Kirkpatrick thought the trailers had been abandoned and as they had been stationary for weeks.

"I reject that submission given they were one trailer after another," Mr Press said.

"What concerns me is there are two stealings of trailers here."

He said that gave him the impression the defendant "thought he was on a good thing".

The trailers have since been returned to their rightful owners.

Mr Press sentenced Kirkpatrick to 100 hours of community service to be completed in a year. No criminal conviction was recorded.

Originally published as Owner catches Rocky thief in the act on Facebook